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Three sections of the River Ribble at Preston are now covered by a flood warning as the heavy rain continues.
Persistent rain throughout New Year’s Eve has swollen the river and it is now reaching a height where flooding is becoming expected from just after midnight on New Year’s Day (1 January).
The Environment Agency has a flood warning, its second-highest alert level, in place for three parts of the River Ribble between Samlesbury and Penwortham.
Read more: Rural Preston road shut due to flooding as New Year’s Eve heavy rain continues
The river is expected to burst its banks around Fishwick Bottoms, Tickled Trout and Avenham Park.
A statement from the Environment Agency said: “Areas most at risk include Fishwick Bottoms area on the north bank of the River Ribble upstream of Walton Bridge. Properties on the South bank of the Ribble between the Darwen Confluence and the Railway Bridge including the sewage works and Catholic College playing fields. River levels are expected to remain high overnight.”
The River Ribble at Samlesbury has reached 5.72m – anything above 5.42m triggers the flood warning.
And the river at Walton-le-Dale, for the London Road bridge, is now 4.43m and above 4m which triggers the flood warning.
A Met Office weather warning for heavy rain was upgraded to amber during New Year’s Eve and is in force until 9am on New Year’s Day.
Elsewhere a flood warning, with flooding expected, covers Ribchester where there has already been some brooks breaching their banks and flood defences put in place to protect properties.
A flood warning is also in force covering the Churchtown area of the River Wyre at Tarnarcre near Catterall.
You can see the latest flood alerts on the government website.
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